Peace Coffee facts for kids
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| B Corporation | |
| Industry | Coffee |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Key people
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Rigoberta Menchú Lee Wallace |
| Products | Fair Trade Organic Coffee |
| Owner | Lee Wallace, Kent Pilakowski |
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Number of employees
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65 |
Peace Coffee is a company from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They sell special coffee that is both organic and fair trade. This means the coffee is grown naturally without harmful chemicals. It also means the farmers who grow it are paid fairly for their hard work.
You can find Peace Coffee in grocery stores, other retail stores, food co-ops, and even online. They sell their coffee all over the United States, especially in the Upper Midwest region. Peace Coffee is also part of a group called Cooperative Coffees, which has 24 fair trade coffee companies.
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How Peace Coffee Started
Peace Coffee began in 1996. It was started by an organization called the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. The idea for Peace Coffee came from Mexican coffee farmers. They wanted to sell coffee that was 100% organic and fair trade.
In 1999, Peace Coffee joined a group called Cooperative Coffees. This group now works with 20 different coffee-growing groups. These groups are in countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. In 2018, the company was bought by its long-time CEO, Lee Wallace, and her business partner, Kent Pilakowski.
Where Peace Coffee Gets Its Beans
Peace Coffee gets its coffee beans in two main ways.
Working with Coffee Cooperatives
The company partners with large coffee-growing cooperatives. These are groups of farmers who work together. These cooperatives are certified as fair trade. For example, one group, the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, has over 10,000 members. Working with large groups helps Peace Coffee get enough coffee. It also helps many farmers at once.
Peace Coffee visits these cooperatives at least once every two years. This helps them stay connected with the farmers.
Importing Coffee Directly
In 1999, Peace Coffee also helped start its own coffee importing cooperative. This group works with other coffee companies. Being an owner and importer helps Peace Coffee know exactly where their coffee comes from. It also helps them understand the journey of the coffee beans. Peace Coffee even shares its contracts with farmers on its website, Fair Trade Proof.
How Peace Coffee Delivers
Peace Coffee has a motto: "pedal not petrol." This means they try to use bicycles to deliver their coffee. They use bicycle couriers to bring coffee to stores and coffee shops in cities. This helps reduce pollution. For deliveries to suburbs or other states, they use a special van. This van runs on biodiesel, which is a cleaner fuel.
